The subject matter herein relates generally to connector assemblies having conductive gaskets.
Some electrical systems utilize connector assemblies, such as header assemblies and receptacle assemblies, to interconnect two circuit boards, such as a motherboard and daughtercard. The connector assemblies include contacts having pins extending from a mounting end of the connector assemblies. The pins are through-hole mounted to the circuit board by loading the pins into plated vias in the circuit board. The connector assemblies are typically pre-assembled and configured to be mounted to the circuit board. In order to ensure that the pins are oriented correctly, many connector assemblies include pin organizers that are coupled to the bottoms of the connector assemblies and that hold the pins in proper positions for mounting to the circuit board.
High-speed connector assemblies suffer from problems with cross talk and can exhibit higher than desirable return loss due to geometries of the signal and ground contacts. For example, gaps or spaces in shielding through the connector assembly can result in reduced connector performance. Conventional electrical systems that utilize pin organizers suffer from shielding problems in the area of the pin organizer. For example, the thickness of the pin organizer creates an unshielded area between the bottom of the connector assembly and the top of the circuit board. Also, the ground pins are typically connected to the circuit board at a location internal to the circuit board well below the surface of the circuit board leading to an additional area that is unshielded.
A need remains for a connector assembly having improved electrical shielding.